Today’s Era of modernization has always lured us to study in English medium schools and colleges in order to be ahead in the career and job hunting. Its really pathetic and heartening that in spite of knowing that English is the language, which holds the key for the individual’s success in today’s world, our politicians have not promoted it in the school and colleges. Rather after independence the political will to promote Indian language, that is precisely regional in nature, and Hindi, which is the national language of the country, have taken the importance to be taught in the school and colleges and made compulsory as a vernacular.
It is but natural to have love for the national language and regional language. However, it should not be at the cost of ignoring to teach the language which can help you earn your livelihood. The motive to introduce regional and national language in government school and colleges gave a political opportunity for the politicians of the country to achieve their goal based on the language divide. English was out of the school in the primary school and introduced only from class six. Almost all the state government followed the same principle and English medium education remained isolated in few of the public, central, private and convent schools and the colleges.
Although, even in isolation, the worst English medium schools and colleges were considered better in education standard than so called good government schools and colleges. Most of the government schools and colleges deteriorated over the years because of lack of willingness of the teachers to provide good education. Yet, most of the IITians, IIM’s aluminous had government school education. However, they are again handful in sheer number who can hold few of the top positions in government and in the private jobs.
Whereas on an average, who can steer the main work of the corporate sectors and government sector, the convent and public school educated youths were always in demand because of the English language skills. Though we say that Hindi is our national language, English remained our official language because of the regional divide and lack of common will to make Hindi the national language in true sense and spirit. It lacked the political will to do so and because of that English survive the onslaught. Good that English survived the step motherly treatment.
Many of the so-called nationalist and pseudo nationalist might term me the anti nationalist in terms of the praise and importance I am showering for a foreign language. That too, this is called our oppressor’s language. And love for this language is clearly a sin in terms of the love for the nation. But if it is so, all the politician’s sons and daughters are the bigger sinner than me. They all have got educated in English medium.
Once while doing my post graduation, one of my teacher very clearly and forcibly had stressed upon that if you want to get something good out of your life, learn to speak and write good English. It was an advice, but off course it was a requirement for me. I studied from government school that too half of my schooling was done in the hinterland background and coping up to know English well was a major challenge for me. Well, over the years, I have grown and learnt English as days passes. Every day is a day of learning for me. And today because of English I am able to feed my family and myself. Kudos to English, which is sustaining my life.
The globalization has thrown open the door of opportunity and it is this language, which can help any one who wants to be successful. The global language, which can get you to the top, is none other than English. In past one decade the jobs, which are outsourced to India and to the Indians, are because of its English knowing talent pool. In future also more jobs will be offered to Indians because of their English communication skills. This is the fact and it is going to stay. Whether government believes it or not, without English our future is going to be ruined. It is no more the language of class. It is the language of mass. The better we know, the better we are equipped for the job.
Sensing the scenario, now even the common man thinks of sending their children to English medium schools. More CBSE, ICSE English medium private schools are coming up and these are no doubt attracting the crowd. The government schools are facing stiff competition. Especially in Kerala and Karnataka the government schools are the last resort. Other states also following them though bit slowly. People have lost faith in corrupt politicians who have kept the people aloof from the opportunity and now in this age of globalization they do not want their children to miss the opportunity what they might have missed because of not knowing English.
I wish good luck to the people for their wisdom of understanding the change and taking appropriate steps for the future of their children.
